1997 Audi A6 Avant 4.2 V8 6MT Conversion *Unique, Fast & Rare* S6 Plus C4 UrS6

1997 Audi A6 Description

After 11 years of ownership the time has come to part with the best car I've ever owned. I purchased it in Oct., 2004 as a one-owner trade-in at Midwest Auto Group Mercedes in Dublin, Ohio with 49k. Originally a 2.8 V6 12 engine with 4 speed automatic. Dark grey Volcano Mica Effect with Platinum leather. 1997 was the last full year of the C4 chassis so the later nice features such as EDL and one-touch windows are included.

Has spent its time with me in California and Arizona so no rust issues like many C4s. Approximately 200k miles on chassis and around 24k miles on the current drivetrain.

As stock the car was not a turbo S and pretty sedate so after 6 years of ownership I decided to either sell the car or attempt to replicate the power plant of the limited edition S6 Plus cars from 1997. The 12v V6 is a reliable engine but low on power and thirsty for oil. The automatic transmission does nothing to help the cause. The V8 however has instant torque and the perfect engine for a heavy car like the C4. Thus began the quest to figure out exactly what the factory did and if I could at build a reliable car and in the spirit of the Plus. Endless hours were spent on the internet cross-checking part #s and sourcing parts from Europe. 3 years and thousands of dollars later I had a running car. Now 2 years later and over 20k miles on the clock it is a reliable, powerful cruiser and deserving of an enthusiast to take her to the next level.

An extensive build thread is up on TheProjectPad dot com, unable to post a link here

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Engine: 4.2 ABH bottom end with A8 heads. NOS ABH short block from Euro Spec Sport in Gilroy, CA. Probably the last remaining crate ABH engine in N. America. The heads were completely rebuilt, given a light port and polish/clean up of the intake tract. S6 Plus factory exhaust manifolds (Cermakrome coated), new NOS S6 Plus fuel injectors (191 cc/min, S6 Plus air box, throttle cable, powder coated timing covers and intake manifold, all new factory engine gaskets (2 extra sets come with car), new Hepu water pump, timing parts, factory S6 V8 oil cooler, new L&R factory radiator, S6 Plus upper radiator hose, all coolant hoses are C4 V8 issue. Has a new factory a/c condensor, S6 V8 a/c compressor and proper lines from the S6 Plus. Factory S6 Plus air box and plenum (took 2 years to find!), NOS factory S8 engine cover, everything fits and looks like it belongs. Power steering rack was rebuilt by Jorgen and the factory S6 steering damper has been installed. Custom high-pressure hose by House of House of Spokane, WA. Redline PSF and the rack is quiet in all temps. Factory Avon-made C4 V8 mounts with additional 60 shore polyurethane for added firmness.

Engine Management: VEMS custom built by Marc Swanson of EFI Express. Has upgraded circuity and capacitor. Dyno-tuned by Marc at Iroz Motorsport, Las Vegas in 2014. Estimated power of around 300-320 crank h.p. Considerable road testing and logs were performed to get a solid tune and VEMS is the perfect platform for future upgrades like turbos. NOTE: VEMS is NOT OBD2 compatible so check with your local authorities for emissions compatibility.

Exhaust: Custom 2.25" stainless down pipes with wide band 02 sensor into factory S6 cats and factory S6 mid-exhaust resonator. Custom 2.25" stainless rear piping with Jetex/Simons rear muffler and Fox dual rear tips. New Vibrant flex joints installed in October.

Transmission: 6 speed manual from a 2000 A6 2.7T. EDU code with .68 6th gear. Transmission had a locked 1-2 shift collar so it was completely stripped down and a new upgraded 1-2 collar and updated composite synchros sourced from Germany were installed with all new seals and o-rings. 1-2, 3-4 5-6 shift collars and large 1st gear were cryo'd (have receipts) for better durability. S6 shifter box, Apikol short shifter. S6 Plus trans mounts reinforced with 60 shore polyurethane. Pennzoil Synchromesh fluid just changed. Factory S6 V8 solid mass flywheel (27 lbs.) with a factory Sachs S6 V8 clutch. Flywheel was custom machined by 034 Motorsport to have a 60-2 tooth trigger wheel for the crank sensor. $600 worth of machining on that alone! S4/6 center prop shaft with new Powertrain Industries center bearing, Apikol rear diff.mount with blue street density bushing. S6 Plus-specified CKF rear differential with Redline fluid. Turns 2750 rpm at 75 mph on the highway and the car consistently gets 22 mpg at 75.

Brakes: Porsche Boxster grey front brakes with 312 mm Zimmerman cross-drilled rotors and Pagid pads, stainless Paragon Performance lines. New Zimmerman Rotors and pads were installed in October, around 100 miles on them. S6 rear brakes with 269 x 20 rotors. Rear lines replaced in 2013.

Wheels and Tires: Factory UrS4 Fuchs 5 spokes with 225 50 16 Falken FK-452 tires. Wheels were powder coated in 2013 and still look good, tires new at time of conversion and have 20k+ miles on them and will need replacing (and alignment) in the near future.

Suspension: Hyperco S6 Plus replica springs with factory Sachs Advantage gas shocks. 20 mm lower vs. stock. Front shocks new at time of swap, rears done in 2006 but still supple. S6 V8-specific red curved tie-rods, new subframe bushings with added poly. Rear suspension is original, I have Apikol rear subframe bushings and Energy Suspension rear triangle bushings in bags ready for install.

Lighting: European factory Hella rear blinkers (look pink, blink amber), A6 Euro center section painted body color with trimmed latch handle, front Hella clear corners, factory Euro headlights with new E code lenses in 2013 and light levelers wired in. 55w HID bulbs and ballasts.

Body: Overall 8.5/10. Euro A6 front and rear bumpers, blacked out front grill, custom badges, roof racks and B and C pillars painted in gloss black enamel with pearl added. Original silver racks included. Car received minor rear damage on both quarters in 2014 so the body was professionally repaired and received new paint from the glass down in June, 2015. PPG Deltron with SPI Universal clear coat. Exceptional color match and bumpers and mid-door trims were removed and painted off the car.

Interior: Overall 7.5/10. S6 front and rear seats, passenger seat is about a 9/10, excellent shape with functioning seat heater. The driver's seat has typical bolster wear but no rips and could be easily re-dyed. Seat heater has issues. Rear seats look great, one very small crack/rip on bottom cushion. Wiring for rear heaters has been run under carpet but not connected. Euro cloth striped door panels with restored CF trim and custom body color trim pieces and black powder coated door pulls. Euro cluster from an A6 with trip computer, reads in Kms., but odometer has been programmed back into miles but not accurate to the chassis. Lots of custom touches, carpet is good but typical wear, has been cleaned and looks very nice. GG Bailey front mats. Headliner is not drooping but could use a clean, I'm hesitant to do this because of the risk of sagging. I have some platinum rear door pillar and door opening trim pieces from Germany that I will include, present ones are a bit scuffed from general wear and tear.

Sound System: Car was de-Bosed in 2006, older Sony HU with I-pod input and separate 10-disc CD changer in rear cubby hole. ADS PQ 10 amp, 4x40 watt bridged into 2 channels at 90 watts. Diamond Audio Hex 5.25" separates with silk tweeters and matching mids in rear doors. Alpine V12 100 watt sub amp with Image Dynamics 8" sub in custom removable enclosure, fits in rear hatch area. Nice punchy bass.

Spares: Doing this conversion I have learned a lot about how the C4 V8s and the S6 Plus were constructed and have plenty of spare parts that will go with the car. These include an ABH short block with 127k miles, a known good engine and has been cleaned and a great back up, bores have been inspected with a dial gauge and are within .008 of factory spec. 2 sets of factory engine gaskets, very expensive and possibly NOS now. One set has been opened and a few items used but one complete set is still unopened. All sorts of small engine parts, roof racks, interior parts, a long list will go with the new owner plus some special tools and manuals. I will of course do my best to guide the new owner on the unique features of the build and how things were wired, etc. It is not an exact copy of the Plus, certain compromises/modifications were made to make things work but the end result speaks for itself.

Things it needs: The car is of course a C4 and suffers from the usual creaks, groans and pops in the front suspension typical of the chassis. I replaced a ton of stuff two years ago during the swap but the issues never seem to go away for long. The rear suspension could use refreshing at some point, I'm including the new rear Apikol urethane subframe bushings and a rear sway bar would help things. For someone serious about improving the handling I'd say wheels and tires and coil-overs would be good things to consider. The a/c is hooked up but when we tried to pressurize the system the joints in a couple places were leaking. I haven't waded into it and it can probably be made to work properly. The cruise control does not work presently, never tried to fix it so could be simple. The body looks really great for its age, not perfect and if I had been able to pull the glass and had more time and money I could have done a complete re-paint but it wasn't possible. Rear driver's quarter has a gap mismatch from previous hit and run in 2007. Was repaired but not optimally. The front bumper was repainted but needs some attention, long story. The engine has a persistent small rear cam seal leak on the driver's side, drips oil onto the exhaust manifold and I'm still trying to figure out a solution but working on it and fixable. Little things of course but I'd have no hesitation to get in the car and drive it 2000 miles. It really is a fast, reliable cruiser that pulls like holy hell in 3rd and 4th gear. Puts a smile on my face every time.

The car is presently in the garage in Phoenix. I bought an Allroad last year and really only need one hot rod Audi. I really feel sad to be parting ways with this car but it's time and I'm incredibly happy with how it has all turned out. Has exceeded my expectations and always starts up and runs great. I've daily driven the car for weeks on end and though it really excels on the open road it can be driven around town easily. I am happy to answer any questions I can and it is an exceedingly rare vehicle. Only a handful of factory C4 V8 cars have made it to North America. I know of only a couple of C4 chassis V8 swaps and NO ONE has done a conversion to the level that I have done to this car. It truly is a unique vehicle, very different from a turbo S car and the torquey V8 is really the perfect engine for such a heavy chassis. You could never duplicate this car now for what I'm asking and no one should be that crazy. It was so much work, so much time but I have a lot of pride in how it turned out.

Payment and Transaction Details: I will require a $500 deposit within 48 hours by Paypal. The balance must be made in U.S. funds by bank wire transfer, bank check or cash. Funds must clear before car is released so wire transfer or cash is preferred. Winning bidder may pick up the car and all included parts in the Phoenix area or they may have the car transported at their expense, I will make sure it gets loaded and all documents are in order. I will also deliver the car for road expenses within 1000 miles of Phoenix.

On Jun-21-16 at 17:21:14 PDT, seller added the following information:

UPDATE: The car just received a new battery today, had been under a car cover in the garage for 3 weeks in Phoenix and was 5 years old. Runs even better now! More pics of the car: Factory ABH short block from Euro Spec Sport, installed in Jan., 2014: More images of exterior/engine: More images of interior:

On Jun-23-16 at 14:29:30 PDT, seller added the following information:

Project Pad screen shots of my build:

On Jun-24-16 at 09:09:56 PDT, seller added the following information:

Underside of Car:

On Jun-24-16 at 20:38:32 PDT, seller added the following information: